More photos of the BlackBerry 9800 Slider and BlackBerry 9670 Clamshell Showing off BlackBerry 6

Left two photos: BlackBerry 9800 slider; right: BlackBerry 9670. All on BlackBerry 6

Yes, we know the photos are not the highest resolution, but they're legit and they're showing off unannounced, unreleased BlackBerry Smartphones running a not-yet available operating system, which makes them cool.

On the two left photos, you have the upcoming BlackBerry 9800 "slider" showing off BlackBerry 6. In GSM dressings, we're thinking this is the device RIM's Founder and Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis was referring to when he said we'll see BlackBerry 6 launch next quarter. We don't know a ton about the device yet specs-wise or name wise for that matter, but the prevailing notion from what we have gathered so far is that it will hit AT&T first. Though a name is just a name, I'm curious to see what RIM ends up calling this one, as it'll be the first BlackBerry Smartphone to combine a touchscreen with a physical keyboard. To date, RIM's touchscreen BlackBerry devices have fallen into the Storm family of brand, but as I learned last week from RIM's VP of Product Marketing, within the US market the Storm name (to date anyways) has been exclusively licensed by Verizon. So if it's hitting AT&T, maybe we'll see it launch as a Bold Slider or Bold 9800 - unless RIM wants to introduce yet another brand family which seems a bit counter-intuitive seeing as they just gave the axe to the Tour brand.

And on the right we have the BlackBerry 9670, showing off a clamshell form factor containing a full qwerty keyboard. Yup, it's kind of hideous, but it's rocking BlackBerry 6 and apparently a 5.0 megapixel camera, which is hottt! This one is CDMA, and we've been hearing it's a device Verizon asked RIM to build - so if you're not liking the look of this one I wouldn't toss all the blame in one spot just yet. I'm sure we'll learn more about this one in the weeks and months ahead.

The more I see this slider, the more I become drawn to it. If it comes to T-Mobile, depending on how well that Touchscreen REALLY works with OS6, I might just... *gulp* have a replacement for my 9700 O_o

Are so god awful fugly. The clamshell makes me vomit a little everytime I see it.

Its a shame that BB6 will be released on those god awful fugly looking misshapen missmash devices.

I want BB6 but knowing how often the 9550 gets leaks and VZW's Bell's and Telus's lazy could give a shit less attitude about software upgrades I am not expecting this until around December. Would make a great Xmas present. That is if I have already switched to the EVO 4G

I normally would say I hate sliders, I've had a few, but this slider does look pretty good, I'd give it a shot. I figure by December I can sneak in another phone into my gadget budget, so bring me these phones with CDMA!

UNLESS RIM launched the 9000 updated, with specs similar to modern phones,

So RIM did away with the Tour brand...which to me still doesn't make sense because it differentiated the CDMA top of the line from the GSM top of the line, but that's neither here nor there. I think the 9800 should NOT be lumped into the Bold line but instead be given a name to highlight the fact that the combination of touch and keyboard is a first for RIM, so something like the Blackberry Genesis for example. Now the (fugly) clamshell thing would probably fall under the Bold line since the keyboard layout is similar if not the same, so Bold Flip makes sense to me there. Yes I realize the slider has the similar keyboard as well, but having too many things named Bold will get confusing to the un-savvy consumer really fast.

the 9800 doesn't have a touchscreen!!!!
pleaz, how come it has that trackpad? if it indeed had a touchscreen, it would look like the storm, just 4 buttons, no trackpad!! and what really proves it's not a touchscreen BB is the fact the message icon is selected, the storm 2 homescreen the icons doesn't remain selected, the blue aura fades away once you put your finger off the screen

Again...RIM's co-CEOs' are idiots...just put together at least one decent full keyboard phone and one touch screen phone that works well with a decent OS and you can succeed....not with this crap though!

RIM is in the top 5 Cellphone manufacturers, I suspect they do a lot of research, and the Carriers are sure to give feedback, the Rumour is Verizon asked for the Clam Shell, and Blackberry Users like myself would love more Screen real estate, but would never give up the physical keyboard, I suspect the slider will be a popular txting consumer phone. more so than the storm.

Everyone is bitching just like everytime a new 5 series BMW comes out. And then when the one after that is revealed everyone bitches that they liked the last one better. It will grow on you because of how well they work

to those bitching that the slider won't have a touchscreen:
1. OS6 preview video was showcasing large touchscreen
2. RIM themselves said OS6 will launch with a new device
So, either they are going to bust Storm 3 out of nowhere in a couple months, or the slider has a touchscreen.

if there are going to make a slider, which is fine and dandy, at least make it landscape so everything isn't so crammed together on this little keypad. Believe me, i love berries, more than anyone, but this just frustrates me. OS 6 will be rushed out with bugs upon bugs again, just like 5, the updates for older phones will take forever, and then once we get an update, people will be hating 6. It just a vicious circle. RIM needs to carry 3-4 phones, TOPS and make them the best. But instead, they use technology that is acceptable instead of advanced...ugh, so frustrated.

Hmm I like the keyboards. Maybe your hands are a lot bigger than mine. I was hoping for exactly this device. I don't want a landscape keyboard. I have a Bold 9000 and love the keyboard.

it is frustrating that carriers have control over updates. I hope RIM will fix that. Why should carriers care? AT&T service is useless so why wait on updates they don't know anything now! :-)

I don't think you can say OS 6 will be rushed out. Clearly they haven't rushed on this. At WES they only showed a video and they did not announce these phones at all,mainly, I guess, because they weren't ready.

Agreed. A landscape slider is more appealing to me because its easier to view. Besides, most sliders are multimedia devices, why not slide the keyboard down when you are watching a video in widescreen view?

I'm all for a slider but why in the hell would I want it to slide so that it's in portrait mode. I would only want a slider because I want the physical keyboard but I would want to see the big screen in landscape mode. I think this was a big mistake because it's obviously aimed at younger users who will be using it more for multimedia and who wants to watch a youtube video or music video in portrait mode when there's that big screen. Screwed themselves if you ask me.

Ummm as a business user I don't see ANY need for wide screen, I have e-mails that I have to scroll through, the long portrait screen makes it far nicer for reading and replying to e-mails,
assuming they remove the stupid truncating!
I think a Side Slider would be more MultiMedia driven, as you would watch video's in landscape and surf the internet in landscape

Why is RIMM trying to appeal to every single form factor demographic out there? Touchscreen, 3 standard forms, clamshell standard, pearl candy bar, slider. Are they still making the pearl clamshell? Either way, thats 7 different phones you may have to choose from if you want a BB. Their quality and innovations has been slipping since they decided to make a form factor for everyone in the world.

I might just have to get it when it comes out. It is really growing on me. I like the fact that the keyboard and face are protected. Wouldn't need a case. Very practical, even if it looks ugly to many!

I'm not a big fan of the slider or the clamshell. I'll stick with the Storm2 and wait for the Storm3 to come out.
Having said that, I'm not going to piss all over RIM for adding a couple new phones to the lineup. I'm sure they will make a profit on both.

RIM can make 100 different models, I don't care. As long as they keep making the Storm.

I think i'm leaving blackberry when my contract runs out. I enjoyed my BB but its time to move on to better phones. I have tried to wait on BB to compete with other phones that are out here. They refuse to do it, so i think its time for me to move on.

I'm still waiting for a BB like the Magnum that was discussed so long ago. Tour/Bold form factor, full keyboard, and touch screen. All the functionality that you want with the looks to boot. What happened to that one?

I am really into the slider. BB will always be function over form. I defected to an iphone for 18 months and, while it was a cool toy, I missed my email/calendar and believe it or not, the BB OS. This slider is great for me in that it keeps me in a berry, while giving me some of the things the old htc phones had! OS 6 isn't going to revolutionize the mobile phone world, but it sure will make my BB more useful. That's what I'm looking for. If I wanted a droid, I'd get one. If I wanted another iphone, I'd buy a touch. When it comes down to it, you're either an addict and will find a BB that suits you, or go somewhere else. No judgement. Just go quietly please.

I see that RIM cant let go of the ugly black/dark borders for the banner on top and the icon rows. What a way to ruin a perfectly good wallpaper. Cant RIM have clear banner lines instead of the ugly dark border.

The clamshell is god aweful, how can you makes phones like the 9100/9105 and the Bold 9700 then make that clamshell. Lol. The slider is weird but nothing to ride home about. RIM needs to do some re-thinking to what they want their phones to look like.

I would prefer a BlackBerry Storm 3 for myself, because I'm partial to phones with no moving parts. Until then I will stick with my trusty BB Tour 9630, which has been very good to me (Sprint). But that BB Slider will appeal to a lot of users. It will attract some people who would never consider another BB.

The slider has touch AND trackpad! It eliminates the choice between touch and standard. Especially with the seemingly very touch-friendly 6.0, this is amazing. I don't think the design is ugly at all. It's rounded like a standard Blackberry and the keyboard is still functional. I think everyone just isn't used to it. I think RIM did great with this one. My contract isn't up for a while, but I'd definitely be interested if it came out for Verizon.

The clamshell concept doesn't do it for me. It didn't work with the Pearl Flip and it's not really working now. Thank you, RIM, for trying, but you're just not there.

I could live with the slider but even more so if it slide the landscape that would allow for a huge lovely touch screen. For those saying they want a Blackberry not a t mobile side kick, hell they made that clam-monster a landscape slider IE: Moto Droid. With a AMOLED screen running Black Berry 6, I would come running back.

I am so waiting for this to finally arrive...
Slider, touchscreen and qwerty keyboard, everything I want in a phone and its blackberry!!!!
My Bold 9000 is great but this will be better....
Hope RIM make the screen large enough with the latest grunt under the hood..

I would love a large touch screen with that same keyboard as my Bold 9000, but the track pad of the 9700. This way I don't have to type with 2 hands. I can use the touch screen when I want. And I can use the keyboard to type and the track pad to specifically place my cursor when typing.

Wow - this is seriously fugly. RIM should have taken a design page out of the Pre's book - sorry but my Pre kicks all my previous Berry's asses, the screen is so much more responsive than my Storm, and the OS is smooth. I've gotten stopped quite a bit with it too by people asking what it is because it looks so good. The Pre is gorgeous. That thing up there is hideous.

Hands down two of the ugliest phone designs I've seen from any company ever. I Love BlackBerry but these two need to get scrapped immediately. I can already see how much money they are going to lose putting these into production. Who ever is in charge needs to have their head smacked off. Why would you introduce your new OS on these? What they should do is bring the BB 6 to the Storm 2 and focus on the Storm 3 already. I Love my Storm 2..ever since the new OS update on the 9550 its been performing flawless. Only thing needed is that Webkit browser and more memory to run apps. Throw in a Snapdragon Processor and you have the best BlackBerry of all time. Storm 2 and Bold 9700 = 2 of the sexiest blackberries ever! Scrap this ugly clamshell and slider. YUCK..I'm ABOUT TO GO VOMIT...EXCUSE ME.

still don't think the slider has a touch screen, as there is a track pad that is on the screen half there is no need for the touch screen, and the bezel around the screen isn't large enough too support the connections. . Still is one device I would realy want, any release dates yet?

the slider device may be real and so may the OS but these photos aren't. the alignments are slightly skewed from one shot to the next, check the positions with the blackberry logo. the reflections don't add up either.

Man are there a lot of cry babies in this forum or what?!?!? I wasnt going to post but felt compelled to after reading. People are complaining about the slider and the clamshell, who cares...if you don't like the phones then oh well. I'm sure RIM will release many other phones over the next several years that appeal to all.
People are threatening to leave...go ahead and move on if you feel let down by RIM, believe me I quietly tried it with both Android and Apple and came running back to RIM!
I think people are so caught up in the Android and iPhone hype that they are trying to compare the Blackberry to them...that's why people are getting upset when they see devices like the BB slider and clamshell. Personally I think people got it all backwards...RIM is not trying to chip away at iPhones or Androids 10-15% of the market...they are going after the big guy "Nokia" who has 40%+ of the world market. From a our (consumer/enduser) stand point it may not be the most appealing but from a business standpoint its a very very smart move for RIM. They're not in the top 5 in the world because they piss people off! ;)
On a personal note, I love my 9700 but would love to try the slider....I gave the storm 2 a try because I really want more screen real estate but I miss the physical qwerty so good on ya RIM for trying to mix the two! Cheers!!
That's my two Canadian cents!! :)

I agree RIM isn't worried about Google (Android) Or Apple (IPhone). I personally know people that have both and they are always complianing about there phones. I've used the android, iphone, and palm phones and i still perfer the Blackberry over all of them.
If people want to bitch, whine, and moan about the slider and clamshell then don't f-ing buy one, it wasnt meant for you anyway, it was meant for those that want those kinds of form factors in a mobile device. All the naysayers will be upset when these two outsell the android, iphone, palm, and nokia collectively.

If the slider also becomes avail in cdma (not just GSM) I'm Sold (yeah I said I'd buy one) and i just might have to trade my storm for it and if it's true Big Red requested the 9670 then i've found a replacement for the wifes 8830 but for now im going to stick to me 9530.

Did you guys know that just because you have a blackberry you don't have to agree with everything blackberry does.

Before I was allowed to reply to your silly remarks I had to hit a button that said "comment" it didnt say if RIM puts out a phone dubbed CLAMSHELL we have to like it or not post our feelings about it.

The guys on this site expect this and even place Polls for reactions in which the majority hated the look.

i was hoping it was going to be a sprint phone!! I was excited to hear that rumor...I like the look of the slider, although it does fall in the trendy category of all the new phones it is nice to have that big screen w the keyboard option.

That is the most hideous looking thing that has ever been built by mankind! And if I were high I'd be trying to kill it! I think the guys at RIM must be joking! Right? There is no way on Gods green earth they are going to build that thing unless they really hate the company that they are building it for. I mean I don't like AT&T but it's not like I wanna see all those innocent. people loose their jobs just the guy I cussed out about 5-6 years ago is all.

I would've preferred landscape slide, although I'm sure that's already in the works somewhere. You guys have to remember that rim knew the 85xx/9700 would do well and is now using different models to target different demographics and types of users. It's nothing personal.. just good business. You can't continuously improve one model over and over again and expect to survive. Only BMW is good at that.

They could release a bb that has no letters on the keys and there would still be a demographic that would buy the shit out of it. They know what they're doing.

what are you doing here if you so love the android os? I see no benefit to having the most invasive and spyware laden os the world has ever seen. just give all, and i do mean ALL of your personal information directly to google. that way they won't have to work very hard to see what you're up to, where you live and where you happen to be at any moment in time with your gps enabled. stay away from anything google, the world will be a better place.

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